Are You Eating Too Much Sodium?

If you are having trouble maintaining your weight, sodium may be to blame.

I don’t know about you, but I feel like the typical American has no idea just how much sodium they are really consuming. Sodium is something we are used to seeing in almost everything we eat, so it’s often something we gloss over in terms of weight loss and health, because we have been conditioned to pay attention to cholesterol and fat. In a recent study published in Appetite researchers discovered that people generally believe the amount of sodium they consumed at fast food restaurants was SIX times lower than the correct amount. The reason for this is that restaurants use sodium to flavor their meals and as a preservative, so the amount of sodium in restaurant food is much higher than what you would find in a home cooked meal.

89% of Americans eat too much salt, and the average American eats about 3,600 mg per day, which is much more than the recommended 2,300 mg. Unfortunately for most Americans, salt makes us retain water, raises blood pressure, and can contribute to heart disease.

READ MORE: Five Foods to Stop Buying Now

Unfortunately sodium isn’t actually published on restaurant menus that offer caloric estimates of their food.

So if you are wondering why you aren’t able to lose that last bit of weight, or why you have high blood pressure when you exercise daily, you may want to consider your sodium intake, and adjust accordingly. The best way to do this is to just look at the labels of everything you eat, and don’t forget to take serving sizes into account.

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